My last entry was posted a day before we were to begin our induction to the Buddhist religion and meditation. That was more than 3 weeks ago - and my apologies for the delay. I had prepared myself for what was to be a solid ten days without any contact with the outside world, meat, beer and women - nor could we talk about any of the aforementioned topics, seeing as this time would be spent in silence.
You may ask yourself why one would choose to do such a thing while on vacation. Well, it has turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of our trip so far. Of course, we did learn during the course not to become attached to experiences due to their innate transient nature, including memories. We spent the first 7 days with a pretty rigid schedule of: wake-up call at 6.00, followed by morning meditation at 6.45, breakfast at 7.15, Buddhist courses from 9.00 - 11.00, then yoga and stretching (great for alleviating all the pain from sitting cross-legged the whole time), lunch and karma yoga (basically community service - the center is run by volunteers, and we were assigned daily tasks to keep the place operational - mine was to clean the toilets), then we had 2 more lessons before the pre-dinner meditation session, dinner and the post-dinner meditation. We usually went to bed around 9 pm in order to be fresh again for the early wake-up call. The accommodations were nice and clean, but spartan. When we arrived for the retreat, we were asked to turn in all cell phones, ipods, computers, non-Dharma books (anything not related to the path of enlightenment). The accommodations were allocated according to gender, and I ended up sharing a room with a Swiss-Italian and Belgian. This was going to be a very romantic way for Jojanneke and I to celebrate our 8 year (relationship) anniversary, and our 1.5 year wedding anniversary on the 27th of March.
The last two days of the retreat were planned for full on meditation sessions. We had 7 on the first day and more planned for the second day, when we received word that the spiritual leader, a very high lama, of the organization (they number 130 centers in more than 30 countries) would be arriving to give a teaching and take part in a refuge ceremony. The ceremony is for people who have decided to become Buddhists. Because of this, our last full day was to include a morning and afternoon teaching from the revered lama instead of meditation. This turned out to be one of the most bizarre days so far on our trip. The lama covered many interesting topics including, but not limited to: hang-gliding, Buddha grass, The Rolling Stones "Satisfaction", and S & M - and all this in between bouts of hysterical laughter and coughs. Our schedule was constantly changing on this day due to the lama's unpredictable routine. We ended our day with a picnic and the silence was lifted, making it a great chance to really get to know the people with whom we'd spent the last 9 days.
After checking out of the center, we decided to stick around town for a few days to hang out with our new friends. When we arrived we didn't know a soul, and only 2 weeks later it seemed that we couldn't walk down the street 5 minutes without recognizing someone. A very kind and generous Buddha incarnate from Malta, Fernando, made it his gift to everyone from the retreat (numbering 34 people) to throw a party with everything paid for on the rooftop of the Plaza Hotel in the center of town. It was an unforgettable gesture - and the spirit of giving and love (sounds really cheesy and cliche, I know - but it's true) continued for days following the course. We were hanging out with quite an eclectic group of people, sometimes ending up in a friend's room at night with some beers, a guitar and good company. I was amazed to find that the people who couldn't play guitar were in the minority. (To Mom - I met a German who told us about a vacation he had visiting a good friend on the island of Sicily. His good friend was from a small town called Sciacca!)
The following day, we went with a group of 6 others on a trek to Triund, which is a 6km hike up the mountain. It turned out to be the ideal cure for a hangover (caused by oily preservatives they put in Indian beer - that and too much beer) and we were rewarded with views that photos don't even do justice to. This also gave me time to reflect on the different ways to earn more merit (within the Buddhist religion, this is necessary towards the attainment of enlightenment). My plan is harness wind power to rotate a massive silo placed atop a mountain. The silo would contain an unimaginable amount of mantras (or, prayers) that would then be sent off to satellites and projected around the universe. My second idea is to open a fitness center for the aspiring enlightened to exercise their way to enlightenment on a treadmill that has a mantra printed on it. With every rotation of the mantra wheel, again the prayer would be spread and merit would be earned.
After our busy day, we decided to take it a bit more laid back. This gave us time to fall in love with our new favorite food - momo's - or dumplings served the Tibetan way. We sat together with a group of friends and brainstormed on the seemingly endless number of combinations that were possible.
Three weeks had flown by before we had a chance to breathe it seemed. Which is always a sign that you're having a great time. We looked at the calendar and realized that we only had 3 weeks left before heading off to Thailand. Taking a private bus at 5 pm on the 8th of April, we arrived at our pre-booked guesthouse (we have gotten wise to the touters and scammers at the bus stands) in the mountain town of Manali around 6 am the next day. (To Brent Power and Alastair- the Mountain Cafe wasn't open yet, but we stayed next to it at the Mountain Dew Guesthouse with stunning views.) We spent the next few days going for half day walks through the mountains, discovering the town, and visited the natural hot water springs in Vaschita, a town nearby.
Again, realizing our time was ticking, we booked a bus for Delhi on the 11th. While waiting for our bus, I met a woman from California who had studied at the U of M before moving to Amsterdam, where she lived for 9 years. The improbability drive must be working overtime. We arrived in Delhi early in the morning and after checking into a hotel near the train station, went to book our train to Varanasi. We were lucky and able to get a 3-tier air conditioned wagon that we shared with 6 other Indians for the duration of the 17 hour journey. Surprisingly enough, I was able to get some sleep on the train.
Since yesterday we have been in Varanasi - famous for it's holy river (the Ganges) and the cremations that take place on the ghats (steps to the bathing areas). We're actually staying very near to the cremation ghat - Manikarnika Ghat - at the Shanti Guesthouse with a rooftop restaurant overlooking the city (for Pete and those who have been here before). It's incredibly hot here and the smells and sensations are at times a bit overwhelming. We spent yesterday just getting lost amongst the small alleyways forming the labyrinth that is the Old City. You sometimes have to make your way back to the river just to reorientate yourself. It's best to be in before it gets dark - seeing as the alleys are mostly unlit and can be quite dangerous at night. We've been able to avoid most scams and touters, but I fell into the trap of an Ayurvedic massage on one of the ghats from a "master". They always approach you in a very friendly manner, asking where you're from and your name. Then he shook my hand and immediately started to massage it. Against my better judgement I went along with it and ended up getting a full body massage on a ghat overlooking the Ganges. Jojanneke took a very charming photo of me which we'll try to get posted soon.
That just about takes you up to today. We've booked our bus already for tomorrow to the Nepalese border, where we'll be visiting Lambini (birthplace of Siddhartha -, aka the first Buddha). Two full days in Varanasi is not enough, but neither is having only 2 months in India/Nepal. We're both feeling very well and are in great spirits - despite my occasional bout of paranoia for getting scammed. We send our love and look forward to any reactions and/or tips.
Lots of love,
Mark
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Greetings from the Dalaiest of Lamas
We've finally made it out of the desert, survived a 6.5 hour public bus journey through the winding foothills of the Himalayas, and come to a place that makes it really difficult to leave. Albeit a little bit short of Valhalla, McLeod Ganj - Dharamsala has really taken a liking to us - which is very welcome, especially after our intense baptism of curry-fire.
Prior to leaving Delhi, we had been warned by the owner of a tourist office of the dangers of traveling by public bus in India. Perhaps he would have been right concerning travel in other parts of the country, but not in the province of Himacha Pradesh. His poorly masked self interest sales pitch did, however, not prevent us from throwing down the $ 3.00 fare for a 6.5 hour bus journey that was to transport us to this little gem in the mountains. The bus was half filled with other tourists, and our feeling of strength in numbers was triumphant.
Playing the role of the informed and experienced traveler, we had booked our guesthouse prior to departing from Amitsar. Our guesthouse is situated a little ways up the mountain from the town, and it offers stunning views of the valley and surrounding area. A perfect place to have a cup of coffee and read a book in the morning. On our first night we dined at McLLo Restaurant, which turned out to be a popular watering hole for ex-Buddhist monks from Tibet. They apparently really enjoy their beer, in addition to reminiscing about their old monk days with any friendly tourist who will listen.
The following day, we went in search of a meditation center that Jojanneke is interested in. We found out that they are offering a 10-day residence course on Buddhist philosophy and meditation that starts tomorrow (the 24th). We've both decided to enroll in it, and for that reason I'll be holding a 10-day blog/email silence. Before that happens though, we did find time to go for a short 4 km hike up the mountain, do some shopping, and pay a visit to the Dalai Lama's residence. Unfortunately, he did not let us in - not even for a a cup of tea - but we did walk through the temple complex and checked out the Tibetan History Museum, which provided the visitor with the violent and harsh reality of the Chinese "Liberation" of their homeland in 1950.
Well, I'm signing off now - I've got 10 days of serious thinking, self-reflection and mediation ahead of me, so I think I'm going to shut my brain down early in preparation.
Greetings from McLeod Ganj- -
Mark
Prior to leaving Delhi, we had been warned by the owner of a tourist office of the dangers of traveling by public bus in India. Perhaps he would have been right concerning travel in other parts of the country, but not in the province of Himacha Pradesh. His poorly masked self interest sales pitch did, however, not prevent us from throwing down the $ 3.00 fare for a 6.5 hour bus journey that was to transport us to this little gem in the mountains. The bus was half filled with other tourists, and our feeling of strength in numbers was triumphant.
Playing the role of the informed and experienced traveler, we had booked our guesthouse prior to departing from Amitsar. Our guesthouse is situated a little ways up the mountain from the town, and it offers stunning views of the valley and surrounding area. A perfect place to have a cup of coffee and read a book in the morning. On our first night we dined at McLLo Restaurant, which turned out to be a popular watering hole for ex-Buddhist monks from Tibet. They apparently really enjoy their beer, in addition to reminiscing about their old monk days with any friendly tourist who will listen.
The following day, we went in search of a meditation center that Jojanneke is interested in. We found out that they are offering a 10-day residence course on Buddhist philosophy and meditation that starts tomorrow (the 24th). We've both decided to enroll in it, and for that reason I'll be holding a 10-day blog/email silence. Before that happens though, we did find time to go for a short 4 km hike up the mountain, do some shopping, and pay a visit to the Dalai Lama's residence. Unfortunately, he did not let us in - not even for a a cup of tea - but we did walk through the temple complex and checked out the Tibetan History Museum, which provided the visitor with the violent and harsh reality of the Chinese "Liberation" of their homeland in 1950.
Well, I'm signing off now - I've got 10 days of serious thinking, self-reflection and mediation ahead of me, so I think I'm going to shut my brain down early in preparation.
Greetings from McLeod Ganj- -
Mark
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The First 19 Day in India
So this is it, our trip has finally begun. For those of you who feel a bit left in the dark, I can attribute it to my sub-par correspondence skills, and I apologize. If you're reading this and didn't even want to receive it in the first place - let me know. With my disclaimer out of the way, I will attempt to fill you in a little on what we are now up to. Jojanneke and I decided a while ago that we wanted to take a year off to see some more of the world. We ended up picking out a few countries we wanted to visit, and then came upon the realization that only a half a year would be possible financially. Long enough though, we thought. We both quit our jobs in the Netherlands and departed on March 1 for Delhi, India. We'll be spending the first two months of our trip traveling around the central and northern part of India, before heading north to Nepal for a week or two. After India and Nepal, we'll be flying to Bangkok, where our plan is to travel as much as possible through Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia before flying back to Holland from Bali.
We've been in India for almost 3 weeks now, giving us ample time to acclimate ourselves. However, it's a bit too much at times. We arrived in Delhi on the first of March. After spending one night there, we decided to hire a car and driver to do some sightseeing around the city. This was probably the best thing we could do as first-timers in India. We were able to see most of the sights in about a day and a half - and by this time we were also ready to abandon the busy and pollution stricken city that is Delhi. Our first impressions of the country were pretty intense. You can try to prepare yourself for the shock of it all, but it would never be sufficient.
Delhi, on it's own, was a shock enough. We've witnessed children getting beaten by their parents along the side of the road (in all fairness, these would have been considered domestic disciplinary actions, since the families resided there in make-shift tents), children as young as three, playing in busy traffic that was stopped at a red light - to my amazement, the cars/rickshaws/scooters/bikes were all able to avoid hitting them when the light turned green. In Old Delhi, we finally got a glimpse of the real shanty towns. They were actually located throughout the city - but we had only seen those parts at night. We saw children begging, public defecation, and the limbless stumbling across the street, to list a few.
I'm sorry if I'm not painting a very pretty picture of "Incredible India", however, it does take a lot of adjustment time before one can truly begin to appreciate it. A few of the other things that we have learned during our short visit here have been (but are certainly not limited to): we are seen as walking banks - we are continuously being approached by people who want something from us, whether it be money, to have their picture taken with "their western friends", money, if we want a rickshaw ride somewhere (you'll say no to one, and another guy one meter further will ask you the same question - this goes on for streets on end), money, where we're from, money, and by every single street vendor and shop owner you pass. It gets to the point where you just start to ignore them, which seems very rude at first, but otherwise you'd go mad here.
So those were the first two days here. Fortunately, they were not all like that. After having a driver for the first two days, we thought we would ease ourselves into our vacation by hiring the same driver for a two-week trip through the province of Rajasthan - in true backpacker fashion. Ok, we were only backpackers by the type of luggage we had, but at only 20 euros a day for a driver and car, you couldn't really go wrong. It also gave us valuable time to pick the brain of our driver during the long drives. He provided us with our beginner's Hindi language lessons, along with traveler's tips and tricks that would have otherwise required us to employ trial and error.
We first visited Agra, home of the world famous Taj Mahal. Despite the $15 entree fee, this was definitely the highlight of the trip so far. (I'm writing this on March 19, and since so many things have already happened to us, for the health of the reader I'll be keeping it succinct.) After the Taj Mahal, we made our way to Jaipur - stopping at a monkey temple along the way to pay tribute to aggressive monkeys. They were nice enough to steal the food out of my hands. The following week, I would also be attacked by monkeys - I'm going to start keeping a tally I think.
Once in Jaipur, we visited the Amber Fort. It's a beautiful fort overlooking the valley, and you get to see lots of camels and elephants along the way.
Jojanneke has started becoming our guide, since she doesn't charge as much as an Indian guide, and the information is usually pretty spot on. From Jaipur, we headed off to Pushkar for 3 days. There is a hippy vibe in this town, and you're offered hashish and opium around every corner. We had a nice hotel that was located on the outside of town, ideal for sitting in the shade and reading. We also rented a motorbike (I only rode it in the parking lot), and our driver took us to rural villages around the area where we met and talked to the locals. This was one of the best experiences, primarily because the people were so kind, generous, and didn't want anything more from you than a handshake and to know your name.
Our next stop was Udaipur. This is also the city where parts of Octopussy (James Bond) were filmed. We checked out the city palace (as we do in most of the cities - but by now I think I have seen enough to last for a while), and I hung out with some friendly cows by the lake. One thing I've noticed about India - since cows are holy here, they have an overpopulation of them roaming the streets. However, they seem to all be lacking a little bit of cowbell. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify that before the end of my trip.
We had made it to Udaipur just in time for the Holi Festival. This is the time of the year when Hindi's get drunk at 8:30 AM on whiskey, and then proceed to throw colored dyes at each other whilst dancing and banging on drums. Needless to say, I had been looking forward to celebrating this with them. Unfortunately, I had contracted a case of food poisoning the night before the festival and spent most of it between my room and the toilet. Jojanneke, however, was able to enjoy herself. We did meet a really nice group of fellow travelers at the hotel too. They were English, Danish, German, and Swedish. We're looking forward to hopefully being able to meet up with a few of them later on in our trip.
After two days, it was off to Ranakpur and a visit to the Jain temple. We spent only one night here, but it was a nice quiet and peaceful change from all the hustle and bustle of the big cities. We headed off to Jodhpur next, stopping off along the way for a short village jeep safari. Here we saw antelopes and a few turtles, in addition to talking (through a translator) to a few of the villagers. In Jodhpur, we ran into the Danish (brother and sister) travellers again while visiting the fort. After a night in Jodhpur, we were off to Khuri, a small village in the desert where our much anticipated camel safari would take place. It turned out to be everything we wanted and more. I even walked away with a free camel-sore-ass souvenir. That night we slept in little cozy huts that actually had a/c. "Roughing it."
The next day took us to Jaisalmer. It's been bloody hot so far on our journey, and it only seems to be getting hotter. Jojanneke and I went for a walk in the old city fort, taking in a bit of shopping while we were at it. The fort was built 900 years ago, but is still a bustling center of commerce today - for tourists at least. We went to sunset point to watch the sunset over the city, and here we once again ran into Mohamed and Selina (the Danish). We decided that it must be fate that we had run into them so many times - so we made a date to eat together the following evening in Bikaner (our last city before we say goodbye to our driver and venture off on our own).
In Bikaner, we visited the famous Rat Temple. This is a temple where they believe that the rats living there are holy. Needless to say, it doesn't smell very nice inside. Fortunately, you don't need to dirty your shoes, since they're not allowed inside. We only spent about 10 minutes inside, which was more than enough. In the evening, we went out for diner on the rooftop of a hotel with Mohamed, Selina and Andre (a French/German) who were all traveling together. That evening we also bid our farewells to Amir, our driver. The following day we boarded a bus for Amritsar (where we are now), and arrived yesterday at 4:30 AM.
We've already seen everything we want to here - the Golden Temple and the famous changing of the guards ceremony on the India - Pakistan border. Tomorrow we are really doing it up budget style, by taking a public bus to Dharamsala.
I know this has been a lot of info at once, so if you're still reading this - thank you. I plan on doing this a bit more often, now that we don't have such a rigid schedule - and the upcoming blogs might even have a bit of humor thrown in them - instead of being a massive regurgitation of locations and temples/forts.
Please feel free to send me some feedback on what you've read, or haven't read. It can also just be thoughts that you have about other non-related websites, cow jokes, or tips on dealing with Indian men (I rarely get to talk to Indian women). In any case, I hope that you enjoy this at least a little bit.
Greetings and love to you all from Amritsar - India,
Mark
We've been in India for almost 3 weeks now, giving us ample time to acclimate ourselves. However, it's a bit too much at times. We arrived in Delhi on the first of March. After spending one night there, we decided to hire a car and driver to do some sightseeing around the city. This was probably the best thing we could do as first-timers in India. We were able to see most of the sights in about a day and a half - and by this time we were also ready to abandon the busy and pollution stricken city that is Delhi. Our first impressions of the country were pretty intense. You can try to prepare yourself for the shock of it all, but it would never be sufficient.
Delhi, on it's own, was a shock enough. We've witnessed children getting beaten by their parents along the side of the road (in all fairness, these would have been considered domestic disciplinary actions, since the families resided there in make-shift tents), children as young as three, playing in busy traffic that was stopped at a red light - to my amazement, the cars/rickshaws/scooters/bikes were all able to avoid hitting them when the light turned green. In Old Delhi, we finally got a glimpse of the real shanty towns. They were actually located throughout the city - but we had only seen those parts at night. We saw children begging, public defecation, and the limbless stumbling across the street, to list a few.
I'm sorry if I'm not painting a very pretty picture of "Incredible India", however, it does take a lot of adjustment time before one can truly begin to appreciate it. A few of the other things that we have learned during our short visit here have been (but are certainly not limited to): we are seen as walking banks - we are continuously being approached by people who want something from us, whether it be money, to have their picture taken with "their western friends", money, if we want a rickshaw ride somewhere (you'll say no to one, and another guy one meter further will ask you the same question - this goes on for streets on end), money, where we're from, money, and by every single street vendor and shop owner you pass. It gets to the point where you just start to ignore them, which seems very rude at first, but otherwise you'd go mad here.
So those were the first two days here. Fortunately, they were not all like that. After having a driver for the first two days, we thought we would ease ourselves into our vacation by hiring the same driver for a two-week trip through the province of Rajasthan - in true backpacker fashion. Ok, we were only backpackers by the type of luggage we had, but at only 20 euros a day for a driver and car, you couldn't really go wrong. It also gave us valuable time to pick the brain of our driver during the long drives. He provided us with our beginner's Hindi language lessons, along with traveler's tips and tricks that would have otherwise required us to employ trial and error.
We first visited Agra, home of the world famous Taj Mahal. Despite the $15 entree fee, this was definitely the highlight of the trip so far. (I'm writing this on March 19, and since so many things have already happened to us, for the health of the reader I'll be keeping it succinct.) After the Taj Mahal, we made our way to Jaipur - stopping at a monkey temple along the way to pay tribute to aggressive monkeys. They were nice enough to steal the food out of my hands. The following week, I would also be attacked by monkeys - I'm going to start keeping a tally I think.
Once in Jaipur, we visited the Amber Fort. It's a beautiful fort overlooking the valley, and you get to see lots of camels and elephants along the way.
Jojanneke has started becoming our guide, since she doesn't charge as much as an Indian guide, and the information is usually pretty spot on. From Jaipur, we headed off to Pushkar for 3 days. There is a hippy vibe in this town, and you're offered hashish and opium around every corner. We had a nice hotel that was located on the outside of town, ideal for sitting in the shade and reading. We also rented a motorbike (I only rode it in the parking lot), and our driver took us to rural villages around the area where we met and talked to the locals. This was one of the best experiences, primarily because the people were so kind, generous, and didn't want anything more from you than a handshake and to know your name.
Our next stop was Udaipur. This is also the city where parts of Octopussy (James Bond) were filmed. We checked out the city palace (as we do in most of the cities - but by now I think I have seen enough to last for a while), and I hung out with some friendly cows by the lake. One thing I've noticed about India - since cows are holy here, they have an overpopulation of them roaming the streets. However, they seem to all be lacking a little bit of cowbell. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify that before the end of my trip.
We had made it to Udaipur just in time for the Holi Festival. This is the time of the year when Hindi's get drunk at 8:30 AM on whiskey, and then proceed to throw colored dyes at each other whilst dancing and banging on drums. Needless to say, I had been looking forward to celebrating this with them. Unfortunately, I had contracted a case of food poisoning the night before the festival and spent most of it between my room and the toilet. Jojanneke, however, was able to enjoy herself. We did meet a really nice group of fellow travelers at the hotel too. They were English, Danish, German, and Swedish. We're looking forward to hopefully being able to meet up with a few of them later on in our trip.
After two days, it was off to Ranakpur and a visit to the Jain temple. We spent only one night here, but it was a nice quiet and peaceful change from all the hustle and bustle of the big cities. We headed off to Jodhpur next, stopping off along the way for a short village jeep safari. Here we saw antelopes and a few turtles, in addition to talking (through a translator) to a few of the villagers. In Jodhpur, we ran into the Danish (brother and sister) travellers again while visiting the fort. After a night in Jodhpur, we were off to Khuri, a small village in the desert where our much anticipated camel safari would take place. It turned out to be everything we wanted and more. I even walked away with a free camel-sore-ass souvenir. That night we slept in little cozy huts that actually had a/c. "Roughing it."
The next day took us to Jaisalmer. It's been bloody hot so far on our journey, and it only seems to be getting hotter. Jojanneke and I went for a walk in the old city fort, taking in a bit of shopping while we were at it. The fort was built 900 years ago, but is still a bustling center of commerce today - for tourists at least. We went to sunset point to watch the sunset over the city, and here we once again ran into Mohamed and Selina (the Danish). We decided that it must be fate that we had run into them so many times - so we made a date to eat together the following evening in Bikaner (our last city before we say goodbye to our driver and venture off on our own).
In Bikaner, we visited the famous Rat Temple. This is a temple where they believe that the rats living there are holy. Needless to say, it doesn't smell very nice inside. Fortunately, you don't need to dirty your shoes, since they're not allowed inside. We only spent about 10 minutes inside, which was more than enough. In the evening, we went out for diner on the rooftop of a hotel with Mohamed, Selina and Andre (a French/German) who were all traveling together. That evening we also bid our farewells to Amir, our driver. The following day we boarded a bus for Amritsar (where we are now), and arrived yesterday at 4:30 AM.
We've already seen everything we want to here - the Golden Temple and the famous changing of the guards ceremony on the India - Pakistan border. Tomorrow we are really doing it up budget style, by taking a public bus to Dharamsala.
I know this has been a lot of info at once, so if you're still reading this - thank you. I plan on doing this a bit more often, now that we don't have such a rigid schedule - and the upcoming blogs might even have a bit of humor thrown in them - instead of being a massive regurgitation of locations and temples/forts.
Please feel free to send me some feedback on what you've read, or haven't read. It can also just be thoughts that you have about other non-related websites, cow jokes, or tips on dealing with Indian men (I rarely get to talk to Indian women). In any case, I hope that you enjoy this at least a little bit.
Greetings and love to you all from Amritsar - India,
Mark
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